Reading and Summarizing Challenging Texts in First and Second Languages.

A study investigated the thinking processes of 14 Anglophone students of French performing challenging reading and summarizing tasks in their first and second languages. Individuals proved to use equivalent higher-order problem-solving strategies while writing and reading in both languages. Strategies varied with the individuals' levels of literate expertise in their native language, correlating with the qualities of written summaries they produced in both languages. Uses of these problem-solving strategies appeared unrelated to levels of second language proficiency (beginning and intermediate). Analyses of the verbal reports reveal thinking processes which are common to reading and summary-writing in first and second languages but which appear to vary with literate expertise and relevant knowledge. Findings are interpreted in relation to theories of the cross-linguistic interdependence of cognitive-academic skills and to a model of discourse comprehension. Implications are drawn for bilingual cognition, further research, and introduction of second language reading and writing. (Author/MSE)